May 11, 2021
Jkarps/Creative Commons
An aerial view of the Blue Mountain Resort area in Carbon County, Pennsylvania.
Blue Mountain Resort, one of Pennsylvania's most popular skiing destinations, soon will be managed by same operator as Camelback Mountain Resort in the Poconos.
California-based KSL Resorts reportedly will take over management of Blue Mountain with plans to make significant investments in the facilities at the Palmerton, Carbon County, destination, according to The Morning Call.
The change in management could be a sign that Blue Mountain will make strides toward becoming an all-season resort. Camelback, located in Monroe County, has an indoor water park and treetop adventure course in addition to more than 30 ski trails. Blue Mountain already has ropes and zipline courses, mountain biking trails and other activities available during the off-season.
"They're going to infuse it with a lot of cash, add on some new and exciting attractions and be able to move forward with a lot of their plans that they have put on hold for quite awhile for different reasons," Kathy Henderson, director of economic development for the Carbon Chamber & Economic Development Corp., told The Morning Call. "It'll be a big help to them and to creating more jobs in the county."
Blue Mountain opened in 1977 as the Little Gap Ski Area. It was started by Ray Tuthill and his daughter, Barbara Green, who serves as president and CEO. The resort was renamed Blue Mountain in 1989 and has remained a top skiing mountain for locals and visitors from the Philadelphia area, the Lehigh Valley, New York City and elsewhere in the region.
Blue Mountain has 39 slopes and a skiable area of 164 acres.
KSL Resorts is an affiliate of Denver-based private equity firm KSL Capital Partners, which invests in a range of hospitality, recreation and travel services. It's not yet clear whether KSL will have an ownership stake in Blue Mountain in addition to the resort's management.
Details about KSL's plans for Blue Mountain still remain to be worked out in the future, but the change in management signals that the Poconos will continue to see investments in recreational facilities.
